Sandy aftermath

REUTERS/Mike Segar

Joseph Leader, vice president and chief maintenance officer of New York City Transit and Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), stands in a flooded stairwell which leads down to a platform beneath street level at the flooded South Ferry-Whitehall Subway Terminal, which serves the 1, R and N subway lines, in lower Manhattan October 31, 2012. New York City Subways remain suspended and power in nearly all of lower Manhattan was still out Wednesday as the U.S. Northeast began an arduous slog back to normal on Wednesday after historic storm Sandy crippled transportation, knocked out power for millions and killed at least 64 people with a massive storm surge that caused epic flooding. Seen in the picture is a map of the original topography of Manhattan Island.

Joseph Leader, vice president and chief maintenance officer of New York City Transit and Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), stands in a flooded stairwell which leads down to a platform beneath street level at the flooded South Ferry-Whitehall Subway Terminal, which serves the 1, R and N subway lines, in lower Manhattan October 31, 2012. New York City Subways remain suspended and power in nearly all of lower Manhattan was still out Wednesday as the U.S. Northeast began an arduous slog back to normal on Wednesday after historic storm Sandy crippled transportation, knocked out power for millions and killed at least 64 people with a massive storm surge that caused epic flooding. Seen in the picture is a map of the original topography of Manhattan Island. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

Joseph Leader, vice president and chief maintenance officer of New York City Transit and Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), stands in a flooded stairwell which leads down to a platform beneath street level at the flooded South Ferry-Whitehall Subway Terminal, which serves the 1, R and N subway lines, in lower Manhattan October 31, 2012. New York City Subways remain suspended and power in nearly all of lower Manhattan was still out Wednesday as the U.S. Northeast began an arduous slog back to normal on Wednesday after historic storm Sandy crippled transportation, knocked out power for millions and killed at least 64 people with a massive storm surge that caused epic flooding. Seen in the picture is a map of the original topography of Manhattan Island.